Malaysian expert offers advice to the home team, pinpointing three formidable Vietnamese players

According to Malaysian football pundit Zakaria Rahim, the national team of Malaysia should maximize the benefits of playing at home to create a favorable position against Vietnam in the opening semifinal match of the 2026 ASEAN Cup, and must remain especially vigilant against the three key players: Xuan Son, Quang Hai, and Hoang Duc.

Malaysian expert: "We must hurt Vietnam in the first leg"

Zakaria Rahim stated that the clash in Kuala Lumpur on the evening of August 16 is not merely a single match but must be viewed as part of a two-legged tie. Malaysia needs to build a sufficiently large advantage before traveling to Hanoi for the return leg on August 19. "This is not a 90-minute battle but a 180-minute one. We play 90 minutes in Malaysia and then go to Hanoi. So before arriving in Hanoi, we need to 'hurt' Vietnam," Zakaria Rahim shared with Bernama.

The Malaysian expert emphasized that the home team does not necessarily need to win by a large margin, but they must secure a favorable result in Kuala Lumpur. "I'm not saying we need to win big, but we need to 'hurt' them before they host us in Hanoi," he said.

Zakaria Rahim was once in Hanoi when Malaysia faced Vietnam and experienced firsthand the pressure from the home crowd. According to him, the atmosphere at My Dinh Stadium can have a huge impact on the visiting team, as Vietnamese players always receive strong support from their fans. "Vietnamese fans are very passionate... the players play for the fans, and they know the fans want victory," Zakaria Rahim observed.

Therefore, he believes Malaysia must fully exploit their home advantage at Cheras. If they fail to establish an advantage before heading to Vietnam, Tan Cheng Hoe's side will face a huge challenge. "If we go to Hanoi without any advantage, we will have a big problem," the expert warned.

In addition to the factors of venue and psychology, Zakaria Rahim also identified three Vietnamese players that Malaysia must pay special attention to: Xuan Son, Quang Hai, and Hoang Duc. He warned that Malaysian midfielders must not allow Quang Hai space behind the midfield line, as this midfielder can make a difference if he receives the ball in a favorable position. At the same time, Malaysia must also disrupt the connection between Quang Hai and Xuan Son.

"Do not let Quang Hai have space behind Malaysia's midfield because that is very dangerous... do not let him receive the ball from Xuan Son... do not give Hoang Duc room to move... these three players must be tightly marked," Zakaria Rahim stressed.

According to the Malaysian expert, tightly containing these three key attackers will be one of the keys for the home team to limit Vietnam's strength in the first leg of the semifinal.